26 June 2024 | CMS Software
Automotive − Essex Auto Group
The Problem
Essex Auto Group are a multi-franchise car and van dealer with over 300 staff spread across seven locations. As each vehicle manufacturer produces invoices at different stages in the vehicle order/sales process, Essex Auto Group were finding it increasingly difficult to reconcile their vehicle stock against received invoices.EAG use a Dealer Management System (DMS) to undertake many of their business processes, but vehicle stock reconciliations were being performed manually which lead to delays and errors.
EAG were looking for a solution that simplified the process and improved efficiency by reducing the time taken to reconcile invoices with stock levels and eliminate errors.
The Solution
EAG turned to CMS Software who have provided data capture and Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS) to them for over 10 years.
CMS Software introduced the FormStorm form capture system to the invoice handling process. Vehicle sales invoices are captured by FormStorm which utilises Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to extract the relevant information from the invoice.
FormStorm produces a report showing all of the invoices received during the day and exports the images to the Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) for storage and retrieval. The report is used to reconcile vehicle stock records on their DMS to the received invoices.
The new process has enabled the business to be more productive, removing the need to manually file the invoices. An added benefit means all staff with the relevant security permissions can view the documents in the EDMS system, improving retrieval time as compared to traditional methods.
Business Benefits
- Easier and faster invoice reconciliation
- Invoice data extraction using OCR reduces human error
- Electronic storage removes filing time and speeds up document retrieval
- Greater efficiency during audit period
- No more mislaid documents
Mark Reilly, Financial Director